REZ Infinite’s ‘Area X’ is a Hint of What’s Coming Next

Mizuguchi-san is promising more VR to come from the REZ franchise.

REZ Infinite made its virtual reality (VR) debut last year on PlayStation VR, and subsequently arrived on PC head-mounted displays (HMDs), the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, earlier this month. With the videogame having been met with a great deal of critical acclaim Enhance Games would be foolish to not consider delivering more REZ to such a keen audience, and franchise creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi is already hinting at what’s coming next.

“We have many plans and talking about REZ Infinite; ‘Area X’ is like a prologue to the next future REZ, and so this is just the beginning. So I’m thinking what is the next REZ experience,” stated Mizuguchi in an interview with VRFocus at Gamescom, Cologne. “I’m waiting for the new technology.”

When questioned about what technology this might be, Mizuguchi seemed particularly interested in the possibility of mixed reality (MR) devices.

“Maybe yes, maybe yes. But the new technology gives the influence to our ideas and inspiration. When we got [Xbox] Kinect a few years ago, [we said] okay let’s make a conductor experience with synesthesia, so we decided to make Child of Eden with Ubisoft.

“PSP – this is a new technology 15 years ago – ideas like Lumines; easy puzzle game with music. All the time it’s like that. VR is like this (pointing to REZ Infinite).”

“Child of Eden is like a spiritual sequel to REZ; so REZ, Child of Eden, what is next? So if you play ‘Area X’ you can feel something new hint to the next one.”

Mizuguchi goes on to discuss the future of VR, his hopes for improving hardware but also what the future may contain for other emerging mediums.

“Maybe VR is just the beginning? Merging into MR and AR and very exciting thinking about the future.”

REZ Infinite is available now for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest VR titles from Enhance Games, including the full interview with Mizuguchi-san coming soon.

An experienced videogame journalist with more than a decade covering console, PC and mobile platforms. Editor-in-Chief at VRFocus, Kevin Joyce oversaw the launch of the website in 2014 and continues to lead the operation on a daily basis.